The team's next manager

[kryptik]

With a 3rd consecutive 90 loss season upon us I have been thinking about who would inevitably succeed Gardenhire as the next manager of the franchise. Gardy has led the Twins to six division titles through the end of the Metrodome era and into a new age for the team at Target Field. He has undoubtedly been a great leader but his time has come.

 

Target Field was the supposed beginning of a new era of Twins baseball in terms of financial and on the field competitiveness. We need a manager that can capitalize on these underutilized new advantages and raise the expectations of this franchise and state. I believe that Joe Maddon is that man. If we want to be considered a serious perennial contender we need to make management and staff moves that reflect that ambition.

 

Joe Maddon would develop the young talent in this system and have the credibility to ensure that FAs wouldn't slip from our grasps. He has topped out in Tampa in terms of fan and regional support. If he can win an AL Pennant and two AL East titles with the Rays think of what he could do with a legitimate mid to upper tier market club such as the Twins, especially one with such a promising and young core of talent quickly rising through the ranks. You can only butt heads with the two headed in division Yankee/Red Sox monster for so long.

 

I know he signed a contract extension last year, but I am convinced that if we ponied up good money, $4-4.5mil a year, we could pry him from Tampa. I know he's said he loves it there blah blah blah, but money talks and there is definite opportunity here to create a formidable player in the American League if the right manager showed up.

 

I'll hang up and listen.

[MichiganTwins]

I would welcome that, but its a long shot as you probably agree. I think Molitor has a chance or Glynn. Anyway, Gardenhire will be back. Lets face it the Twins wont let him go.

[Oldgoat_MN]

Maddon would be awesome, but I cannot see the Rays letting him out of his contract.

 

At least if I were part of Rays ownership, I sure wouldn't let him go!

[Thrylos]

Joe Maddon and Terry Ryan's three ring binder will not play nice with each other. In order to have one (or one like him), Terry Ryan and his binder has to go...

[Shane Wahl]

Not saying Gardenhire is gone, but wouldn't it appear as though Terry Steinbach is next in line?

 

Down the road it may be Dougie or Jake.

[Otwins]

How about Mike Redmond? I think he has done a very good job in Miami. He is young for a manager but has big league experience and ties to the Twins.

[beckmt]

Unless the Twins fold up the final 2 weeks, Gardy will be back. Might also expect Glen Gwynn to be in the mix(do not know if I spelled that correctly)

[stringer bell]

It is Gene Glynn of Waseca, MN donchaknow! If they dump Gardy, I hope the Twins go outside the organization totally. If ever an organization needed to be opened up wider it is the Twins.

[pierre75275]

I would love to see mike scocia in the twins dugout. I know he is signed thru 2018, but rumor has it he could be on the hot seat.

[nicksaviking]

Joe Maddon and Terry Ryan's three ring binder will not play nice with each other. In order to have one (or one like him), Terry Ryan and his binder has to go...

 

Yes, Ryan and Maddon do not fit. Maddon is new school baseball, Ryan is staunchly old school. If you want Maddon, it's best to pry away Andrew Freidman, the Rays GM, first. He actually only goes year-to-year with his contract so he is fair game.

[maxisagod]

The Interviews would be small. I'd guess only Glynn, Molitor, and Ullger would get interviews. Lip service and maybe a phone would be made regarding Redmond and another big name like Ozzie Guillen. But the Twins would have to trade for Redmond given his three year contract, and that's a long shot.

[h=3][/h]

[Squirrel]

I would hope they would go outside the organization as well, but that never seems to be what they do. And personally, I hope they do NOT choose Molitor. He's never managed, not even in the minors. But this is all moot until Gardy is gone.

[Monkeypaws]

Former catchers make pretty good managers. Steiny?

[Tibs]

Charlie Manuel was fired by the Phillies and used to play for the Twins. Just throwing another name out there if Gardenhire were to go, but I'm not sure if he is the type of manager the Twins need.

[zenser]

In house, I would say Molitor, Steinbach, and Glenn are candidates. I hope not Ullger.

 

Mike Maddux? Ryne Sandburg? Alan Trammel? Jim Hickey? Curt Young? Rick Peterson? I am not sure what these guys contracts currently are but they would be guys I would be interested in if they went out of the organization.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think Gardy is gone. He'd have gotten an extension if they wanted him back. He has not been extended. I want a guy who work well with rookies. Maddon is a great idea, but he's under contract, so I don't think it happens.

[nicksaviking]

I think Gardy is gone. He'd have gotten an extension if they wanted him back. He has not been extended. I want a guy who work well with rookies. Maddon is a great idea, but he's under contract, so I don't think it happens.

 

I actually think Ryan will look for an excuse to extend Gardenhire. There hasn't been any point in the season the Twins have played well enough that Ryan could justify going out and offering an extension based on current performance. However, I think he's painted himself into a corner based on past comments implying the failure isn't Gardy's fault.

 

The Twins have won two in a row, I wouldn't be surprised if they win a few more using these young guys, if Ryan uses that as justification to offer an extension before the season ends.

[Winston Smith]

Terry Ryans office tells it all.

http://www.hilaborlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/aintbrokedontfixit.jpg

[Willihammer]

I actually think Ryan will look for an excuse to extend Gardenhire. There hasn't been any point in the season the Twins have played well enough that Ryan could ustify going out and offer an extension based on current performance. However, I think he's painted himself into a corner based on past comments implying the failure isn't Gardy's fault.

 

This is my thought as well. I was somewhat surprised to read an interview with Jim Pohlad a few weeks ago where he predicated some comment with a casual "obviously we're bringing Ryan back next year." As you say, given the ownership Ryan has taken for the losses (at least publicly), I think they would have a hard time not bringing Gardy back another year at least.

 

edit: here is the exact quote from Sid's interview:

 

Meanwhile, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is without a contract after this year. Pohlad said Gardenhire’s status will be evaluated after the season.

 

Is there any reason he won’t be back?

 

“Well, that’s Terry’s decision, but he’ll consult with all of us,” said Pohlad, who added that nothing has been decided.

 

Hartman: Pohlad expects better times ahead for Twins | Star Tribune

[gil4]

Anyway, Gardenhire will be back. Lets face it the Twins wont let him go.

 

I'm not so sure. Last offseason there was quite a bit of reshuffling on the staff. This is not a team that has played well fundamentally and only lost because of the lack of talent. This team has had plenty of breakdowns and failures that really fall on the shoulders of the coaching staff, especially the one at the top. I think Ryan's public comments are diplomatic because the season is still going on, but I think Gardy is gone.

[nicksaviking]

If Gardy is let go, they should do it now and give Gene Glynn the interim label now that his Rochester team is done playing.

[Squirrel]

If Gardy is let go, they should do it now and give Gene Glynn the interim label now that his Rochester team is done playing.

 

I think they are letting him get to (hoping he gets to) 1000 wins. Then they can part ways on a 'celebratory' note.

[kryptik]

I understand the feeling that some have that Gardy might be back, but I can't see the rationale from a PR standpoint within the organization. You just had 3 straight 90 loss seasons and traded away one of the cornerstones of the last decade of the franchise in Morneau. If that's not clearing the way to press the reset button on things I don't know what is.

 

That being said there are twofold things that I predict will happen: 1. Gardy will not be out of work long. He is a good manager but sometimes a break and a change of scenery are necessary to regain focus in your work. Just because we (might) let Gardy go and someone else picks him up, does NOT mean we made a mistake. 2. I think Terry Ryan will hire a middle aged guy to replace Gardy, not a young gun or hot up and comer as much as the last of the older generation kind of guy to run the organization. So in that sense Joe Maddon would be out of the picture, as much as I would like it to happen.

 

Getting a manager the caliber of Maddon would send a message to the league that the Twins are a serious organization that is to be reckoned with not only in the AL Central but league-wide. We should be comparing ourselves on a tier with teams such as the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, not the Brewers/Indians/Royals.

 

Minnesota is a top 10 state in per-capita income, top 15 in media market size etc, to put it frankly we aren't Garrison Keillor's Minnesota anymore. Unfortunately too much of the older generation seems stuck in the "ahh shucks", overly negative, small town rube mindset that handicaps our taking the next step in being competitive. There is no reason we can't win like the Cardinals and Giants can, none whatsoever. If we scale our core principles of getting good value, solid scouting/drafting, and strong fundamentals with a larger resource pool and a coaching staff capable of getting the most out of the players we could be exceptional dangerous in Major League Baseball.

 

I'll get off my soapbox and let the speculation about whether or not Gardy goes and who would replace him to continue now.

[LaBombo]

The Interviews would be small. I'd guess only Glynn, Molitor, and Ullger would get interviews. Lip service and maybe a phone would be made regarding Redmond and another big name like Ozzie Guillen. But the Twins would have to trade for Redmond given his three year contract, and that's a long shot.

If they interview Ullger for any reason other than professional courtesy to make him appear more legitimate as a managerial candidate elsewhere, it would be very disappointing to me.

[nicksaviking]

I think they are letting him get to (hoping he gets to) 1000 wins. Then they can part ways on a 'celebratory' note.

 

I don't like it, but I agree. That would be such a classicly passive way to dismiss Gardy, it does sound like it's right in the organization's wheelhouse.

 

Though in my post I said "if" not "when" Gardy is replaced. Though I don't necissarily agree with it, I still think the adds are Gardy gets an extension.

[LaBombo]

I think they are letting him get to (hoping he gets to) 1000 wins. Then they can part ways on a 'celebratory' note.

Yup. 995 and counting. With the season in the tank it's surprising that it hasn't been played up more by the Twins.

 

And maybe he'll leave us with a few more fond memories after the thousandth win by adding a few more ejections to his impressive career total. He's already on pace to break Earl Weaver's AL record of 98 career ejections if he manages just 6 more seasons.

[Shane Wahl]

Molitor is not going to be a manager. I don't get how his named gets bandied about. The Twins are going to look at their own managers in the system or they are going to look at the BENCH COACH on the big league club right now.

[Highabove]

Take a good look at this line up including the batting averages.

Can we even call this a Major League Lineup?

I do no believe you should fire Gardenhire with the Talent (lack of talent) he was given to work with this year.

If Gardinhire is fired, Ryan should go with him.

 

 

 

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[/TABLE]

[LaBombo]

Joe Maddon and Terry Ryan's three ring binder will not play nice with each other. In order to have one (or one like him), Terry Ryan and his binder has to go...

Maddon's job interview with Twins front office personnel...

 

Terry Ryan: Like I did with Ron, I would expect to talk with you frequently about what kind of team you'd like to field. For starters, can you tell me how you would like to see the organization go about adding talent within the constraints of our existing budget?

 

Maddon: It would be great to see you and your staff target a free agent pitcher with strong peripherals who is still affordable due to an ERA that was artificially inflated by a high BABIP and low strand rate. And maybe be willing to part with some non-essential talent to acquire a high minor league infielder who has posted strong wOBA's for his age relative to league but who is undervalued because he's blocked within his organization.

 

Entire Twins front office in unison:

http://www.mymeetingprofessional.com/wp-content/uploads/Dr-Evil-My-Meeting-Professional.jpg

BWAAAAHAAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAA!!!!!!!

[cmb0252]

Mike Maddux. This franchise needs someone, anyone, from outside the organization to come in. As someone who used to live in Dallas and follows the Rangers as a side team the things Maddux has done for the pitching there is amazing. Built a whole new philosophy. With our young arms coming up we need someone who has proven to be able to harness their talent.

 

As I say this I'm guessing if Gardy isn't back, which I would bet he will be, the front office most likely will bring someone from within the organization.